the essays of montaigne, v5-第1章

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The　Essays　of　Montaigne；　V5

by　Michel　de　Montaigne

Translated　by　Charles　Cotton

Edited　by　William　Carew　Hazilitt

1877







CONTENTS　OF　VOLUME　5。


XXV。　　　　　　Of　the　education　of　children。
XXVI。　　　　　That　it　is　folly　to　measure　truth　and　error　by　our　own
　　　　　　　　　　capacity。






CHAPTER　XXV

OF　THE　EDUCATION　OF　CHILDREN

TO　MADAME　DIANE　DE　FOIX；　Comtesse　de　Gurson

I　never　yet　saw　that　father；　but　let　his　son　be　never　so　decrepit　or
deformed；　would　not；　notwithstanding；　own　him：　not；　nevertheless；　if　he
were　not　totally　besotted；　and　blinded　with　his　paternal　affection；　that
he　did　not　well　enough　discern　his　defects；　but　that　with　all　defaults　he
was　still　his。　　Just　so；　I　see　better　than　any　other；　that　all　I　write
here　are　but　the　idle　reveries　of　a　man　that　has　only　nibbled　upon　the
outward　crust　of　sciences　in　his　nonage；　and　only　retained　a　general　and
formless　image　of　them；　who　has　got　a　little　snatch　of　everything　and
nothing　of　the　whole；　'a　la　Francoise'。　　For　I　know；　in　general；　that
there　is　such　a　thing　as　physic；　as　jurisprudence：　four　parts　in
mathematics；　and；　roughly；　what　all　these　aim　and　point　at；　and；
peradventure；　I　yet　know　farther；　what　sciences　in　general　pretend　unto；
in　order　to　the　service　of　our　life：　but　to　dive　farther　than　that；　and
to　have　cudgelled　my　brains　in　the　study　of　Aristotle；　the　monarch　of　all
modern　learning；　or　particularly　addicted　myself　to　any　one　science；
I　have　never　done　it；　neither　is　there　any　one　art　of　which　I　am　able　to
draw　the　first　lineaments　and　dead　colour；　insomuch　that　there　is　not　a
boy　of　the　lowest　form　in　a　school；　that　may　not　pretend　to　be　wiser　than
I；　who　am　not　able　to　examine　him　in　his　first　lesson；　which；　if　I　am　at
any　time　forced　upon；　I　am　necessitated　in　my　own　defence；　to　ask　him；
unaptly　enough；　some　universal　questions；　such　as　may　serve　to　try　his
natural　understanding；　a　lesson　as　strange　and　unknown　to　him；　as　his　is
to　me。

I　never　seriously　settled　myself　to　the　reading　any　book　of　solid
learning　but　Plutarch　and　Seneca；　and　there；　like　the　Danaides；　I
eternally　fill；　and　it　as　constantly　runs　out；　something　of　which　drops
upon　this　paper；　but　little　or　nothing　stays　with　me。　History　is　my
particular　game　as　to　matter　of　reading；　or　else　poetry；　for　which　I　have
particular　kindness　and　esteem：　for；　as　Cleanthes　said；　as　the　voice；
forced　through　the　narrow　passage　of　a　trumpet；　comes　out　more　forcible
and　shrill：　so；　methinks；　a　sentence　pressed　within　the　harmony　of　verse
darts　out　more　briskly　upon　the　understanding；　and　strikes　my　ear　and
apprehension　with　a　smarter　and　more　pleasing　effect。　　As　to　the　natural
parts　I　have；　of　which　this　is　the　essay；　I　find　them　to　bow　under　the
burden；　my　fancy　and　judgment　do　but　grope　in　the　dark；　tripping　and
stumbling　in　the　way；　and　when　I　have　gone　as　far　as　I　can；　I　am　in　no
degree　satisfied；　I　discover　still　a　new　and　greater　extent　of　land
before　me；　with　a　troubled　and　imperfect　sight　and　wrapped　up　in　clouds；
that　I　am　not　able　to　penetrate。　　And　taking　upon　me　to　write
indifferently　of　whatever　comes　into　my　head；　and　therein　making　use　of
nothing　but　my　own　proper　and　natural　means；　if　it　befall　me；　as　oft…
times　it　does；　accidentally　to　meet　in　any　good　author；　the　same　heads
and　commonplaces　upon　which　I　have　attempted　to　write　（as　I　did　but　just
now　in　Plutarch's　〃Discourse　of　the　Force　of　Imagination〃）；　to　see　myself
so　weak　and　so　forlorn；　so　heavy　and　so　flat；　in　comparison　of　those
better　writers；　I　at　once　pity　or　despise　myself。　　Yet　do　I　please　myself
with　this；　that　my　opinions　have　often　the　honour　and　good　fortune　to
jump　with　theirs；　and　that　I　go　in　the　same　path；　though　at　a　very　great
distance；　and　can　say；　〃Ah；　that　is　so。〃　　I　am　farther　satisfied　to　find
that　I　have　a　quality；　which　every　one　is　not　blessed　withal；　which　is；
to　discern　the　vast　difference　between　them　and　me；　and　notwithstanding
all　that；　suffer　my　own　inventions；　low　and　feeble　as　they　are；　to　run　on
in　their　career；　without　mending　or　plastering　up　the　defects　that　this
comparison　has　laid　open　to　my　own　view。　　And；　in　plain　truth；　a　man　had
need　of　a　good　strong　back　to　keep　pace　with　these　people。　　The
indiscreet　scribblers　of　our　times；　who；　amongst　their　laborious
nothings；　insert　whole　sections　and　pages　out　of　ancient　authors；　with　a
design；　by　that　means；　to　illustrate　their　own　writings；　do　quite
contrary；　for　this　infinite　dissimilitude　of　ornaments　renders　the
complexion　of　their　own　compositions　so　sallow　and　deformed；　that　they
lose　much　more　than　they　get。

The　philosophers；　Chrysippus　and　Epicurus；　were　in　this　of　two　quite
contrary　humours：　the　first　not　only　in　his　books　mixed　passages　and
sayings　of　other　authors；　but　entire　pieces；　and；　in　one；　the　whole　Medea
of　Euripides；　which　gave　Apollodorus　occasion　to　say；　that　should　a　man
pick　out　of　his　writings　all　that　was　none　of　his；　he　would　leave　him
nothing　but　blank　paper：　whereas　the　latter；　quite　on　the　contrary；　in
three　hundred　volumes　that　he　left　behind　him；　has　not　so　much　as　one
quotation。＇Diogenes　Laertius；　Lives　of　Chyysippus；　vii。　181；　and
Epicurus；　x。　26。＇

I　happened　the　other　day　upon　this　piece　of　fortune；　I　was　reading　a
French　book；　where　after　I　had　a　long　time　run　dreaming　over　a　great　many
words；　so　dull；　so　insipid；　so　void　of　all　wit　or　common　sense；　that
indeed　they　were　only　French　words：　after　a　long　and　tedious　travel；　I
came　at　last　to　meet　with　a　piece　that　was　lofty；　rich；　and　elevated　to
the　very　clouds；　of　which；　had　I　found　either　the　declivity　easy　or　the
ascent　gradual；　there　had　been　some　excuse；　but　it　was　so　perpendicular
a　precipice；　and　so　wholly　cut　off　from　the　rest　of　the　work；　that　by　the
first　six　words；　I　found　myself　flying　into　the　other　world；　and　thence
discovered　the　vale　whence　I　came　so　deep　and　low；　that　I　have　never　had
since　the　heart　to　descend　into　it　any　more。　　If　I　should　set　out　one　of
my　discourses　with　such　rich　spoils　as　these；　it　would　but　too　evidently
manifest　the　imperfection　of　my　own　writing。　　To　reprehend　the　fault　in
others　that　I　am　guilty　of　myself；　appears　to　me　no　more　unreasonable；
than　to　condemn；　as　I　often　do；　those　of　others　in　myself：　they　are　to　be
everywhere　reproved；　and　ought　to　have　no　sanctuary　allowed　them。　　I　know
very　well　how　audaciously　I　myself；　at　every　turn；　attempt　to　equal
myself　to　my　thefts；　and　to　make　my　style　go　hand　in　hand　with　them；　not
without　a　temerarious　hope　of　deceiving　the　eyes　of　my　reader　from
discerning　the　difference；　but　withal　it　is　as　much　by　the　benefit　of　my
application；　that　I　hope　to　do　it；　as　by　that　of　my　invention　or　any
force　of　my　own。　　Besides；　I　do　not　offer　to　contend　with　the　whole　body
of　these　champions；　nor　hand　to　hand　with　anyone　of　them：　'tis　only　by
flights　and　little　light　attempts　that　I　engage　them；　I　do　not　grapple
with　them；　but　try　their　strength　only；　and　never　engage　so　far　as　I　make
a　show　to　do。　　If　I　could　hold　them　in　play；　I　were　a　brave　fellow；　for　I
never　attack　them；　but　where　they　are　most　sinewy　and　strong。　　To　cover　a
man's　self　（as　I　have　seen　some　do）　with　another　man's　armour；　so　as　not
to　discover　so　much　as　his　fingers'　ends；　to　carry　on　a　design　（as　it　is
not　hard　for　a　man　that　has　anything　of　a　scholar　in　him；　in　an　ordinary
subject　to　do）　under　old　inventions　patched　up　here　and　there　with　his
own　trumpery；　and　then　to　endeavour　to　conceal　the　theft；　and　to　make　it
pass　for　his　own；　is　first　injustice　and　meanness　of　spirit　in　those　who
do　it；　who　having　nothing　in　them　of　their　own　fit　to　procure　them　a
reputation；　endeavour　to　do　it　by　attempting　to　impose　things　upon　the
world　in　their　own　name；　which　they　have　no　manner　of　title　to；　and　next；
a　ridiculous　folly　to　content　themselves　with　acquiring　the　ignorant
approbation　of　the　vulgar　by　such　a　pitiful　cheat；　at　the　price　at　the
same　time　of　degrading　themselves　in　the　eyes　of　men　of　understanding；
who　turn　up　their　noses　at　all　this　borrowed　incrustation；　yet　whose
praise　alone　is　worth　the　having。　　For　my　own　part；　there　is　nothing　I
would　not　sooner　do　than　that